Joseph Koenig
Prof. Joseph Koenig (written Joseph König ''in German) is a 10th generation Austrian '''Tremere neonate' residing in Santa Maia. He is the childe of Sanne Iommi, later adopted by Oscar Clee. His Embrace was engineered by clan Tremere in order to discover and help research the "Schattenorb". He is currently the Chairman of the Santa Maia community hospital and an Apprentice of the Fourth circle in the Tremre hierarchy. Joseph Koenig was an Austrian professor of Occult sciences until he sparked the attention of the Tremere. He was embraced in Los Angeles and thrown into the world of vampires and their societies. Later transferred to Santa Maia, he worked under the iron heel of his sire and his clan. He and Jacques Duchamps set up a coterie and unlived in a sort of partnership for almost 2 years. Koenig was involved in the Museum Theft and later attempted the Tunnel Heist. He developed a professional partnership with Webb as well, leading to their takeover of the hospital. He later excavated the "Schattenorb" and after Sanne's detainment, was adopted by fellow apprentice Oscar Clee. He witnessed and failed to prevent Sanne's prison break and later saw the reformation of her Sabbat pack. (This section will be revisited once the story is established, memories need refreshing) History 'Mortal life' Joseph König was born in Vienna, Austria in the year 1938, to a German doctor and researcher dr. Dietrich König and his wife Karlotte. His father was a researcher for the Inland-SD, a branch of the Nazi-Germany Sicherheitsdienst (Security Service), formally working in Department C. In the department a secret subdivision was formed in order to conduct research on occultist theories regarding castle Wolfenstein. In the last days of WWII the family moved to a village in upper Styria which served as a last resort hidout for some NSDAP simpathizers. In 1947, Joseph's father was found and taken by US officials and never seen again. The König family lived in a mostly isolated village, where young Joseph grew up. His mother was a loving housewife who, after the arrest of her husband, had to take care of the boy herself. Because she had long work hours and a long drive to work, Joseph was mostly left at the local school for daycare. There, he associated with a group children that he grew to despise, as he was often the subject of shunning - he developed a hobby of strangling animals at age 9, which was whiped out of him upon discovery. Growing in a mostly Catholic environment, Joseph found no love for the word of Christ and instead opted to pretend in order to fit in. Being granted a scholarship, the intelligent young man moved to Vienna to study theology at the behest of his mother, but later dropped out to sign into the Faculty of Historical and Cultural sciences. Always being fascinated by tales of occult lore, Joseph quickly adapted to university politics, often using student council bodies for boons or favours, as his excellent grades and quick wit provided him some status among his peers. After submitting his Master's degree in Occult history of Austria-Hungary he was already versed in vicious student politics just as well as scholarly pursuit, earning praise not only with intellectual work, but also largely with cunning opportunism. By the time he was 30, his mother Karlotte had died. He attended her funeral in the place of his upbringing. After inheriting the house he opted to sell the land and move to Vienna permenantly. After clearing out all his belongings he discovered journals and research papers on his father's work at Wolfenstein. Immediately deducting the legendary proportions of such occult lore and determining the resulting research to be a masterpiece, he took it to Vienna with him. After some time of study and insight, he determined the work to be invaluable and presented it as his own to the University of Vienna, which offered him a post as a member of the faculty for his outstanding progression in the field. He took to the job with ease, frolicking in various university politics for years to come. Joseph took it upon him to delve into his father's journals and to piece it together with his own work. Although considering the burden of lecturing very bothersome, his post and status as professor granted him not only a lavish salary, but also a small network of contacts around Europe. All this enabled him to live mostly undisturbed until, after long years of research flew by, he managed to glimpse the name of a place ancient and forgotten, allegedly the center of many occult tales in the Austrian monarchy: Ceoris 'Embrace' Having been called to the United States of America on a seminar regarding his field of work and his recent breakthrough on the matter, Joseph König flew to Los Angeles to deliver his presentation. Upon checking in to the hotel provided for him, a stranger approached him and offered to take him to his quarters. Due to his strong prejudice toward foreigners, he found this suspicous and opted to send the man away. He was, however, politely asked to comply with the request again . He was escorted to a room where his memory faded to blackness. He woke to witness a woman introducing him into the Tremere. 'Fledgling years' After being embraced by Sanne in typical Tremere fashion, he was inducted into their ranks by partaking in the Transubstination of the Seven. Swearing the Tremere Oath he joined the clan as one of its many Kindred, be it of his own will or not. He was informed of his state and of all the rules he had to follow forthwith, lest he suffer a Final Death. Transported to the Chantry in Los Angeles, he was instructed in the ways of the undead and of their society. He was now a Tremere fledgling, born and made to exercise and follow the clans' will until his final demise. After these formalities, the real part of his unlife began. The recently embraced Joseph Koenig partook of Thaumaturgical instruction. His vampiric body was subject to his first ritual, which enabled him to use Blood Magic. For a year, he studied the arts of Thaumaturgy and other knowledges the Tremere wanted to grant him. His objective was withheld from him, and he wondered what the vampires had in store for him. He marveled at his newfound powers, yet later discovered that the weight of the Pyramid would be shackled to him forever. With freedom forever lost, he grew to despise his clan and particularly his sire, Sanne, who exercised her power over the young neonate profusely and with little mercy. He eventually grasped the first levels of Blood magic and begun his journey towards mastering the Path of Blood, along with his first thaumaturgical ritual. He dared to believe that this power was perhaps worth his freedom. After more tutelage, it was decided that he and his sire would relocate to Santa Maia, where they would be under the supevision of Rais de Gerrubáin, Tremere Regent of Santa Maia. Santa Maia Here goes the story from game-time Personality Write the second section of your page here. Skills & Abilities Attributes Koenig's physical prowess is nothing to be admired, with average strength and agility and slightly better endurance, due to numerous sustained injuries. He can call upon the power of vampiric Vitae however, and substantionally enhance his capabilities. He performs mostly average in social situations, being sometimes considered patronizing, untrustworthy and almost just plain creepy, although by mortals mostly. His visage is not of particular note and enables him to blend in if required. But his trie strengths lie in his skill of manipulating others to achieve his own ends. He has decades of experience in the art of coercion. Lastly, his greatest asset is his keen mind. With slightly increased sensory abilities and a quick wit, his superior capacity for knowledge and critical thinking enables him to quickly solve most problems with ease and perform well under stress. Joseph is constantly able to maintain his concentration and keep a cool head. 'Talents, Skills and Knowledges' Being a scholar by heart and profession, Koenig never maintained his other skills and talents. He performs abysmal in matters of close combat or any athletic activity, and his ineptitude on the streets warrants attention. He is only slightly more attentive when it comes to other people or his surroundings, and is sometimes able to intimidate those who don't have the upper hand. As a Tremere Apprentice, he was forced to take charge many a ghoul and is improving quickly, mostly due to his domineering personality. But his greatest asset (and his only raw talent) lies in his deviousness, being able to talk most people into doing what he wants them to do. His skill at lying and avoiding the truth is paralled by few other Kindred. Koenig also has no deftness in any handy skills people usually have, with no feeling for hand-related skills or any others for that matter. He even never learned how to drive a car. He only has moderate proficiency with firearms, being forced into it by the dangers of the night. His one aptitude is his sense for etiquette. But whatever he lacks in aptitudes, he makes up for vast quantities of knowledge he has acquired over the years. He excels at research and in anything connecting to occult lore, especially since his indoctrination into clan Tremere, the clan of Warlocks. Recently he even picked up moderate proficiency with computers, with the help of his sire and his ghoul. He also posesess some knowledge of basic medicine and science in general, with some insight even into financial and political studies. Addidionally, he speaks advanced English, along with his native German. 'Disciplines' Koenig's greatest assets are his vampiric Disciplines, powers bestowed to the Cursed of Caine. As a Tremere, he has developed the power to impose one's will upon another person, along with supernatural senses and awareness. He later grasped the basics of Thaumaturgy, Blood magic, and embarked into the night a full-fledged Tremere. Koenig posesses great precisionn when it comes to his Disciplines, using them to their fullest potential. He often takes advantage of Auspex, using its increase in perception to gather information quickly, and the ability to determine the attitude of the people he is dealing with. But his focus lies mostly in the use of Dominate, using it for various means and ends. He has improved his precision with this discipline to effectively make people perform bodily functions at his command, and has showed elaborate hypnotic directions embedded in his victims. Thaumaturgy As a Tremere, Koenig relies heavily on his magical prowess as well. Having taken to Thaumaturgy rather quickly, he has expanded on his repertoire of powers. As per protocol, he learned the Path of Blood as his primary path of Thaumaturgy. Gaining the ability to burn blood of other Kindred quickly, he managed to master the art of temporary empowering his blood, lowering his generation. After his initial contact with Ryker, the scourge at the time, he marveled at the ability to command bolts of electricity. Thristing for this power, fortune bestowed upon him the opportunity to be taught by Ryker himself, on the request of Master Gerrubáin. After strenous effort, he managed grasping the Path of the Levinbolt and is slowly improving it ever since. Lastly, his true goal was revealed to him and he sought out the "Schattenorb". Being temporarily taken under the wing of Sanne and her new Sabbat companions, they excavated the artifact and begun delving into its secrets. Koenig gained insight into more sinister forms of magic, and was taught control over the Path of Shadowcrafting. After Sanne's public defection, he was left with the item and has been studying it ever since, under the watchful eye of Clee. Allies, Retainers and Contacts Amelia Lawson , ghoul Tom Jones, ghoul Professor Goldstein - contact Trivia text Category:Camarilla Category:Tremere